Adamantine Tinkering

Aug 3, 2012

It's another busy day in the market, the usual citizens buying their day to day goods, would be adventurers purchasing their first weapons and armors, the more seasoned adventurers making resupply runs. There's also some activity far less visible, and significantly less common. Vendors buying from other vendors. Those rare vendors that deal in raw materials either as their primary business, or have the connections to make raw materials available upon request. One of the better customers for such goods is in one such stall today. The golem Craft looks through reels of copper wire, reeling out just enough between tridactyl fingers to examine the gauge, then setting the spool down and grabbing another. This goes on for several minutes, but soon the golem's on his way, with a wheelbarrow full of dark metal, with a spool of wire resting ontop, rocking briefly before falling to nestle into a gap as he makes his way down the street.

Moonshadow has been wandering the market herself. Able to wander through the crowd without hurting anyone or even coming close to hurting else, she uses the intricate steps of a strange, and flowing dance, or it seems that way to the casual eye. Of course, said 'dance' brings her close to Craft as he wheels his newly bought spools down the street. "Greetings Craft." She says as he passes nearby. "Spools of wire? What do you need them for?"

"I had an idea for how to improve my 'death ray,'" Craft says, the words more metallic than the rest, the golem's vocal equivalent of disapproving air quotes. "But I will need lots of wire to accomplish it." He nods towards the metal. "And further adamantine, to replace what I've already used from my old stores." While she navigates the crowd with fluid grace, he mostly just pushes along, letting folks clear a path. It's fairly efficient, not many people wanting to get in the way of a 260 pound golem in full armor pushing a cart weighed down with even more metal. He looks about briefly, and adjusts course to head towards a storefront with a sign hanging outside the door reading "Craft's Crafts."

Following behind Craft, Moonshadow lets the crowd part the way for them until they get to craft's shop. "Interesting sign. People would never guess you worked here." She says with a light chuckle. "Death ray?" She clearly hasn't seen too many artificers. "Can you explain what it is? and uh.....try not to get too detailed in it, since I don't know too much about......that."

"What they call an artificer's ranged weapon," Craft explains. "It's really more like a firearm that doesn't require ammunition, shooting magical energy instead." He gets the door open, muscling the wagon through and back behind the counter, where the weapon in question is laid out on a worktable, surrounded by far more fine and delicate tools than the ones hanging from a holster by the anvil and forge. The starts of a suit of armor can be seen resting off to one side, and ongoing project of the same dark metal that now resides in the wheelbarrow. Craft retrieves the spool, setting it next to the weapon, and gesturing for her to come take a look.

Moonshadow walks carefully on over and tilts her head. "Interesting." She says taking a look at it. "If it uses pure magical energy however, why not attach it to a gauntlet, and fire it that way?" She then shrugs. "An idea, nothing more." She says as she watches Craft work on the death ray.

"That works fine for things that are meant to be activated once a day," he says, tapping a bracer without even looking up at it, pulling a disk from the pocket of his apron, activating it with a touch, it's sides rotating out to form spider-like legs that carry it to a seemingly pre-designated spot. Craft keeps his work area very neat and orderly, even the way the unfinished armor lies in the corner seems very deliberate and organized. "But this needs to hold it's own chargeable energy source." He begins cutting long lengths of the supple wire, each looking long enough to wrap around something rather large indeed. "Crossbow's about as small as I can make it."

Moonshadow says, "It was only an idea, like I said. I guess I favor my hands a bit too much." She says holding up her hands, showing the bracers depicting the Silver Disc boldy made upon it. "Can't make it too small, huh?""

"As do I," Craft says, and slips on a bracer of his own. By some unseen trigger, a metal disc on the outside unfolds and a shield of shimmering energy forms. Weightless and all but invisible once the initially chaotic energies settle. To prove a point, he resumes work, the shield not interfering with his work in the least.

Moonshadow tilts her head and watches the golem work. She doesn't interrupt him at all, but actually watches while staying out of his way. "It's powered by magic? SO a wizard could pour more power into it? Or a sorcerer could add to it's power?"

"If they understood it well enough, perhaps," Craft says, starting to make a large net with the wires, soldering them in place. "But, mine is different from another artificer's, so I wouldn't even necessarily be able to charge one crafted by another artificer." He stops, and considers the smaller instruments on the table. "These are all charged by me," he explains, "but I figured out early on how to make them retain the energy until used. You could use this bracer as easily as I."

Moonshadow smiles a bit and shakes her head. "I wouldn't know what to do with a shield." She says tapping her bracers. "I'm used to blocking things with my arms and hands. I'm not very used to using weapons at all." She then looks at the other items that Craft says are charged by him. "Nice. So only you can use these?"

"Once they're expended, yes," Craft says. He gestures to the smaller instruments, from the easily palmed to something that looks a lot like an artificed torch with a crystal where the wick should be. "These all will retain the energy until used. Only the ray actually requires me to be the one handling it."

Moonshadow says, "Interesting. I almost wish I knew the surrounding knowledge for it." She then tilts her head to Craft. "Unfortunately, living in a Monastery tends to make you think more on instinct than moch else. Especially when you're training your body to fight in potentially dealy situations."

Craft looks to Moonshadow then. "It's not for everyone. I came to it late," he explains, gesturing to the anvil. "I started crafting more... direct things. Fewer delicate components."

Moonshadow says, "I can appreciate that. More of the direct things need to be made, like armor and weapons, but some of the magical part of them tend to fascinate me. I guess it's the influence of the Silver Disc." She says with a shrug. "I can't use magic myself though."

Craft nods. "I primarily use it as an energy source," he admits. "It's an energy I've learned to channel and manipulate, but I cannot simply will it to be like a sorceror or wizard, or call it from whatever source the Clerics summon it from," he explains. "I am inherently magical, so perhaps it comes easy for me, but still, it is artifice to which I'm most drawn."

Moonshadow nodnods. "Like the martial art for me. Though I'm not like Azog, and simply try to hack my opponents into pieces with brute force, I figure I can avoid most blows without using heavy armor at all." She then lightly taps on the shoulder of Craft. "So that's what keeps you together, hmm?"

"Keeps me mobile, at least," Craft says. "I'm coming to understand the process more and more as I learn more of artifice, but there's still many questions. I once met a Golem who had been brought back from the dead into the body of an elf. It was somewhat comforting to have conformation of a soul," he says, turning from his work.

Moonshadow smiles. "Well, if you ask 'Am I alive?', it tends to point out that you are alive." She then chuckles. "and have a soul." She then moves back from behind the counter. "Plus, if I remember correctly, you enjoy helping people as well. So that shows you haev a kind soul."

"I will help those who are with me," Craft says, and, on a sound from a door, opens it onto a stair, a large, wolfish hound coming out to investigate the visitors, "and protect those close to me, but I would not say I am kind," he says. "During the war, I smashed the head of a guard who did not even see me coming. His people would have made me and others into slaves, tools of another. The things I do, I chose to do. That is what makes me alive, not any sort of self awareness."

Moonshadow says, "Just because you are kind doesn't mean you sit back and let people turn you into something you're not. If you were truly mean, you would have attacked me for what I am, and not be standing ehre talking to me." She says holding her hand down to the wolfhound. "and this dog sees you're kind as well.""

"I do not understand the racial biases of organics," Craft says. "You do not change that much, a half-elf varies little from a human, and little from an elf. An oruch varies from a jotun only in hue and scale. It was a long process even learning the differences you all place such import on. Even Arvek Nar, which had attempted to enslave me, it was the ones from a kingdom, and there were those amongst my companions in the war who were part of that race." He scratches behind the dog's ears. "Your kind seems to focus so much on what makes one different, not what makes them the same." He gestures between the two organics in the room. "This dog and you both eat, drink, sleep, and have senses beyond sight and hearing. You two share more than I share with you, and yet you would consider me more similar to you, yes?"

Moonshadow says, "That's the way of 'organics'. You spoke of souls, as do I. It's why I consider you similar. You don't have to eat, drink, and more to be considered 'alive'." She then gestures towards the dog. "In that regard, the dog is also similar to us, but not in body type." She then puts her hand upon her chest. "It's what's in here that counts, not the shell that was given to us." She then smiles a bit. "Do you dream when you 'sleep'?" She air-quotes 'sleep'."

"I do not sleep," Craft says. "And never have. It has left me with plenty of time for my pursuits," he says, gesturing around the shop. "I must take the time to recharge my tools, but that is more a restful moment than actual sleeping."

Moonshadow shrugs. "Another thought." She says before she turns towards the door. 'I'd better get going then. I hope to see you helping others again, Craft."

Craft nods to Moonshadow. "Be well," he wishes. "I enjoyed the conversation."

Moonshadow smiles and waves. "As did I, Craft."